Introduction: why the MYP Personal Project feels bigger than it is
The day your MYP Personal Project is announced, it can feel like someone quietly slid a second timetable under your desk. Same week: math test, language oral prep, maybe a tournament, and now you're supposed to become a one-person research team with a product, a report, and a reflective journal.
But the students who do well in the MYP Personal Project don't have better lives. They have smaller decisions. They pick a goal they can actually finish, they document as they go, and they treat the report like evidence, not a diary.
This guide is built for IB students who want clarity, not motivation posters. You'll learn what the MYP Personal Project is really assessing, how to plan without burning out, and how to turn your process into marks.
Quick checklist: the MYP Personal Project in one page
If you do nothing else, do these:
- Choose a MYP goal that is specific, measurable, and feasible.
- Pick one Global Context and keep returning to it.
- Define success criteria early (so you can evaluate later).
- Keep a process journal with dated entries and evidence.
- Map everything to Criteria A--D before you write the final report.
- Build a "feedback loop": draft, get comments, improve, repeat.
Helpful RevisionDojo starting points:
- Use the MYP Personal Project Grader to check how your writing aligns to the rubric.
- Use Study Notes to tighten research summaries and explanations.
- Use Flashcards to memorize ATL language, command terms, and key definitions.
What the MYP Personal Project is actually testing (and what it's not)
The MYP Personal Project is not a competition for the most impressive product. A simple product with a strong process can outscore a flashy product with weak documentation.
What it is testing is your ability to:
- Investigate a topic with purpose and credible research.
- Plan a realistic path and adapt when life happens.
- Take action and create something that matches your goal.
- Reflect with honesty, evidence, and learning language.
That's why the report matters so much: it's the place you prove you did the cycle.
If you want a clean breakdown of how the report is judged, read MYP Personal Project: Report Writing Breakdown alongside this guide.
Choosing a topic that scores well in MYP (without choosing something you hate)
A strong MYP topic has two qualities: you care about it, and you can finish it.
Here's the simplest way to choose:
Start with "interest" then add "constraint"
- Interest: "I like fitness."
- Constraint: "I can test a 6-week training plan and analyze results."
Constraint is your best friend. It forces your goal to become measurable.
Make the goal specific enough to evaluate
Your goal is the hinge of the entire MYP Personal Project. If it's vague, your evaluation becomes vague, and Criterion D suffers.
Examples of specific goals:
- "Design and publish a 12-page beginner guitar guide and teach 3 peers using it."
- "Create a short documentary (6--8 minutes) on local heritage using at least 2 interviews."
- "Build a basic habit-tracking app prototype and test it with 10 users."
If you need idea sparks, use Real Examples of IB MYP Personal Projects for Inspiration.
Lock in the Global Context early
Your MYP Global Context is not decoration. It's the reason your project matters beyond "I wanted to." The best reports reference the Global Context in:
- the goal justification,
- the research choices,
- the product decisions,
- and the final reflection.
If you're stuck at topic stage, MYP Personal Project: Choosing a Topic You're Passionate About is a useful pre-planning read.
The MYP project cycle: how to turn the process into marks
Your MYP Personal Project is assessed with four criteria (A--D). A high-scoring student doesn't "do the project" and then "write the report." They build the report as they go.
Criterion A (Investigating): research that earns credit
High marks in MYP Criterion A usually come from:
- A clear goal + personal justification.
- A stated Global Context connection.
- Research that influences decisions (not just information dumps).
Practical move: after each research session, write one sentence: "Because I learned X, I decided to change Y." Those sentences become your report.
How RevisionDojo helps:
- Use Jojo AI to clarify concepts, generate research questions, and check whether your explanation is logically tight.
- Build mini-recall sets with Flashcards so your research and ATL vocabulary stay usable under pressure.
Criterion B (Planning): a plan that can survive reality
A good MYP plan includes:
- A timeline with milestones.
- Resources you'll use (tools, people, websites, books).
- Risk planning (what could go wrong, and what you'll do).
The hidden trick: document adjustments. If your plan changes, that's not failure. It's evidence of self-management.
Criterion C (Taking Action): show the work, not just the final thing
In MYP Criterion C, you're rewarded for evidence. Keep:
- drafts, prototypes, screenshots,
- photos of stages,
- test results and feedback forms,
- and short notes on why you changed something.
This is where students often lose marks: they create a product, but don't show the thinking that produced it.
RevisionDojo advantage: when you practice explaining your decisions, you're training an exam skill too. Use Exam Mode to run timed writing sprints for your report sections so you stop relying on "I'll write it later."
Criterion D (Reflecting): the part that feels awkward but scores big
Reflection in the MYP Personal Project is not "I enjoyed it." Strong reflection is:
- anchored to your success criteria,
- honest about challenges,
- specific about ATL skill growth,
- and supported with examples.
A simple reflection template:
- What happened?
- Why did it happen?
- What did I change?
- What did I learn?
- What would I do next time?
To go deeper on writing, keep Writing an Outstanding MYP Personal Project Report open while drafting.
Writing the MYP Personal Project report like a scorer
Think of your MYP report as a legal case: every claim needs evidence.
Build your report from evidence blocks
Instead of writing in one long weekend, create "blocks" you can paste later:
- Goal + justification paragraph.
- Global Context explanation.
- Research summary + how it shaped decisions.
- Timeline screenshot + what changed.
- Product development paragraph + proof.
- Evaluation paragraph linked to criteria.
Use RevisionDojo's grader for a ruthless second opinion
Before you submit, run your draft through the MYP Personal Project Grader. Use it like a checklist:
- Did you answer what the rubric strand is actually asking?
- Did you provide evidence or just narrative?
- Are you using ATL terms accurately and specifically?
And if you want to see what "good" looks like, compare structure and voice with annotated models in the IB Personal Project (MYP) Exemplars.
How to balance MYP Personal Project work with IB exam prep
If you're in exam season, treat the MYP Personal Project like a small weekly habit, not a second life.
Two routines that work:
- Daily 20 minutes: update process journal + write one evidence sentence.
- Weekly 60 minutes: one milestone + one paragraph draft.
Then, keep your "exam brain" moving using RevisionDojo:
- Drill weak areas with the Questionbank.
- Build memory with Flashcards.
- Use Study Notes to fix conceptual gaps fast.
- Use Exam Mode for timed practice to reduce stress.
This is the quiet advantage: when your MYP process is consistent, your report becomes assembly, not invention.
FAQ: MYP Personal Project questions students actually ask
How do I know if my MYP Personal Project goal is "good enough"?
A "good enough" MYP goal is one you can finish, evaluate, and explain with evidence. Most students judge goal quality by how impressive it sounds, but assessors judge it by how clearly it can be investigated and reflected upon. If your success criteria can't be measured or observed, your evaluation becomes guesswork. A strong test is to ask: "What would success look like on a specific date?" If you can answer in one sentence, you're close. If you need a paragraph and three exceptions, tighten it. Finally, remember that the MYP Personal Project rewards process, so a simpler goal often gives you cleaner evidence and stronger reflection.
What should I put in my process journal for the MYP Personal Project?
Your MYP process journal should show decisions over time, not just a list of tasks. Each entry should include the date, what you did, what changed, and why it mattered. Add evidence whenever possible: screenshots, photos, drafts, notes from feedback, or data from testing. The journal is also where ATL skills become real: write one line about which self-management, research, communication, or thinking skill you used that week. If you only write when things go well, your reflection becomes shallow, so record problems too and how you responded. When you later write the MYP report, the journal becomes your source for specific examples rather than vague memories.
How do I write strong reflections for Criterion D in the MYP Personal Project?
Strong MYP reflection is structured evaluation, not emotion. Start by restating your goal and success criteria, then judge performance against them with concrete proof. Next, explain challenges as learning moments: what failed, why it failed, and what you changed in response. Then connect growth to ATL skills with examples, like time management adjustments or improved research methods. Avoid generic lines like "I learned a lot" and instead name the exact learning: a new tool, a better workflow, a clearer understanding of your Global Context. Finally, end with forward-thinking: what you would keep, what you would change, and how the learning transfers to future MYP or DP tasks.
Can RevisionDojo help with the MYP Personal Project if it's not a traditional exam subject?
Yes, because the MYP Personal Project is still assessed through skills: research quality, planning, evidence, and reflection. RevisionDojo helps you tighten those skills in practical ways. You can use Jojo AI to refine research questions, improve clarity, and check whether your reasoning actually supports your choices. You can use Flashcards for ATL language and key definitions so your report sounds precise rather than improvised. You can use Study Notes as a model for concise explanation and structured writing. And the MYP Personal Project Grader gives you rubric-aligned feedback so you know what to fix before submission.
Conclusion: make the MYP Personal Project smaller, and it becomes powerful
The MYP Personal Project is a strange assignment because it's both personal and assessed. That tension is why it feels heavy. But if you keep it simple -- a feasible goal, consistent evidence, and a report that maps directly to Criteria A--D -- the whole project becomes manageable.
If you want the fastest path to confidence, build your feedback loop with RevisionDojo: use the MYP Personal Project Grader, compare structure with IB Personal Project (MYP) Exemplars, and keep your wider IB prep steady with the Questionbank, Study Notes, Flashcards, and Exam Mode.
Do the MYP cycle well once, and you'll recognize the same rhythm later in the DP: investigate, plan, act, reflect. Different stakes. Same skill.
